NCCR STOPS THE CONSTITUTIONAL BILL

By Elias Mhegera

The National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR) has called for the immediate stoppage of the Constitutional Review Bill’s debate to be tabled in the Parliament.

Before the media on Sunday last week was its chairman James Mbatia who convened the media in order to deliver the party’s position in the ongoing debate. He was categorical that the constitution debate has brought total confusion in this country, and being delicate as it is, it could plunge this nation into chaos if it is not handled well.

Mbatia was flanked by the party’s chief legal advisor and prominent member Dr Sengondo Mvungi and the party’s secretary general Sam Ruhuza. Oh his party in an exclusive interview with The Express Dr Mvungi was perplexed by the tone of the Bill, while Ruhuza sensed chaos if the Government was not to allow a new constitution in place.

The NCCR boss claims that the Bill has indicated that there is an intention to copy and paste the Kenyan model which after all is not applicable to the Union Government of Tanzania.

Mbatia directs the blame to two bodies, first it is the Union Governemnt under President Jakaya Kikwete, which he says has confused people that even after knowing that what they aim is a totally new constitution but it has decided to table down a Bill for the review of the existing one which he dubs as outdated due to the fact that it was formulated during the single party era where the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), was dominant.

“I am surprised to see that the Bill on discussion is directing us to review the constitution which people have already rejected, this is wastage of resources and time and it should be stopped immediately,” he rattled.

His blame to the Zanzibar Government is the confusion that it has created, in the first place he congratulated them for forming a new constitution which caters for the isles situation, but he was surprised to see there is still a talk of the ‘Revolutionary Governemnt’ while in actual sense what exists now is the Governemnt of National Unity (GNU).

He said the new constitution in Zanzibar has sidelined the Tanzania mainland, and for that matter he called for the mainlanders to discuss their constitution after being abandoned by their fellow Tanzanians in the isles. He noted that since when a new constitution was enacted in Zanzibar, political matters have changed substantively.

He cites the fact that while the constitution of the Union caters for both the isles and mainland Tanzania but Zanzibar’s president is increasingly becoming autonomous with two vice presidents

“We have heard of how the Bill was torn apart in front of Samuel Sitta the former Speaker of the National Assembly and current minister for East Africa Cooperation, we were not invited when they discussed their constitution, it is better we discuss ours first and then invite them for the Union constitution,” said Mbatia who however affirmed that he is not against the Union but its structure.

END